


identity reveal

by killerqueenwrites



Series: i will always hold you close (irondad bingo) [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt Peter Parker, Identity Reveal, Kidnapping, Mild Blood, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Tony Stark, Rhodey POV, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Uncle Rhodey, there is one brain cell and not even rhodey has it at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27591971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerqueenwrites/pseuds/killerqueenwrites
Summary: The first time Rhodey meets Peter Parker, it’s barely six months after the whole shitshow in Germany and he’s checking in to make sure Tony isn’t drunk off his ass or loopy with caffeine and sleep deprivation again.The second time he meets Peter Parker, the kid’s cooking in Tony’s kitchen like he’s been there his whole life.The third time he meets Peter Parker, he’s bleeding out on Tony’s couch, and that’s not even the weirdest thing about this kid.Or, five times Rhodey doesn’t figure out Spider-Man’s identity and one time he does.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: i will always hold you close (irondad bingo) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016994
Comments: 26
Kudos: 1105
Collections: IronDad (and his Spiderson), Really good Irondad and Spiderson fanfics, The Best Irondad/Spiderson Fics, The Best Peter Parker Fluff Fics, The Best Peter Parker Whump Fics, The Best of the Best MCU Fics





	identity reveal

**Author's Note:**

> if you're subscribed to me, sorry for the spam you're getting. i'm reuploading my irondad bingo one-shots as individual stories to make it easier for people to find them and so they can be stories in their own right.[ they were originally posted here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19019488/chapters/45168637)
> 
> this was first posted as a present for @gay-in-221b more than a year ago. disgusting how time passes and amazing that we're still friends. ily

**1.**

The first time Rhodey meets Peter Parker, it’s barely six months after the whole shitshow in Germany and he’s checking in to make sure Tony isn’t drunk off his ass or loopy with caffeine and sleep deprivation again.

It happens, he knows that. It’s been happening since MIT, Afghanistan, New York, and now Siberia. So he shows up to the Compound with Chinese takeout, hoping that this isn’t one of those nights where Tony’s so broken that he can’t be put back together until morning.

“FRIDAY, where’s Tony?”

_“Boss is in his workshop.”_

A coffee and inventing night, then. “All right. Take me down, please.”

_“Of course.”_

The elevator ride is short, the smell of garlic and fried rice making his stomach growl. He expects to walk into the equivalent of an AC/DC concert when the elevator reaches the right floor and he pushes through the glass doors at the end of the corridor, but the lab is practically silent.

Silent except for the hum of tools and…laughter?

“Kid, you’re gonna kill me.” Rhodey hasn’t heard Tony sound so light, so happy, for years, and certainly not since Steve and the others disappeared.

“No, no! I didn’t mean to trip him up, I swear!” The voice is unfamiliar but startlingly young. “But everyone was laughing – like, not at me, for once. Even Happy – wait. Mr Stark, someone’s-

_“Boss, Colonel Rhodes is here.”_

There’s a clatter, like Tony’s dropped his tools, and then he appears from behind a workbench. “Rhodey!”

“Hey, man!” Rhodey holds up the carrier bag. “I brought food.”

“Got enough for three?”

“Three?”

“Pete? This isn’t hide and seek. Come say hi.”

Rhodey isn’t sure what he expects, but it certainly isn’t a kid who can’t be any older than sixteen to follow Tony around the bench, biting his lip and fidgeting with his sleeves.

“Woah.” The kid’s eyes go wide. “You’re War Machine!”

“Iron Patriot, kid, because the military has no sense of what’s cool. I know him better as Rhodey. Peter, Rhodey. Rhodes, Peter Parker, my intern.”

“Hi,” Peter says.

Rhodey glances between Tony and the kid, too shocked to even return the greeting. “I have several questions.”

“Shoot, honeybear.”

“Since when do you take interns?”

“Since I hired the kid.”

“No, since when do _you_ take interns?”

“He’s my personal intern. Good to have around, you know? He can fetch me coffee, take messages, deflect Pepper with his puppy eyes.” Tony grins in a way that lets Rhodey know he’s teasing. From the look of pure adoration the kid shoots him, he knows too. “Oh, yeah, and he’s crazy smart, so there’s that.”

“Mr _Stark_ ,” Peter groans in _exactly_ the tone of voice kids use when their parents are being embarrassing on purpose.

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony ruffles the kid’s hair and it’s all Rhodey can do to hide his surprise.

“Mr Stark!” Peter bats Tony’s hands away. “Stop doing that!”

The more Peter talks, the more Rhodey thinks he might have seen him around somewhere. “Have we met, kid?”

Peter’s eyes go wide and he glances at Tony, who’s immersed himself in a pile of scraps. “N-no, I – I’d remember that, Mr – Colonel Rhodes.”

“Just Rhodey, Pete,” Tony says without looking up from his project.

“So.” Rhodey clears his throat, mindful of the fact that it’s at least ten at night. “Peter. Does Tony often keep you here all hours of the day?”

“I don’t mind!” Peter says instantly. “I’d rather be here than school.” He looks like he’s going to say something else, but lets loose a huge yawn instead.

Tony doesn’t look fazed. “If you’re tired, take a nap. I didn’t get that couch in here for nothing.”

Tony changed his lab? Brought in new furniture? Of his own accord?

“Oh, no, it’s pretty late…” The kid checks his phone. “Shit! I mean – it’s _really_ late. I’d better go, or-“

“May as well stay,” Tony says easily. “Blame me if your aunt gets mad. She’ll be in bed by the time you get back, anyway.”

“Sure. Sure, just let me call her.” Peter ducks out of the lab, fumbling with his cell.

“You gonna make the kid sleep on the couch in here?” Rhodey asks mildly. He’s not quite incredulous, because he’s had about thirty years to get used to Tony’s eccentricities, but this is pushing it.

Tony looks at him like he’s stupid. “No. He has a room.”

“He has a room.” The kid that Rhodey has never met, has never even heard of before today, has a room in what should be a secure SHIELD facility. “Of course he does.”

“It’s logistics, honeybear,” Tony drawls. “He lives out in Queens. Sometimes it’s just easier for him to stay over than send Happy on a three-hour round trip. You know how grumpy he gets.”

“Oh, so Happy’s in on this, too?”

“Yes, Happy’s a part of this imagined conspiracy.” Tony rolls his eyes. “Go get mad at him.”

“I’m not mad, Tones, just-“

“She said it’s fine!” Peter bounces back into the lab without even asking, and Rhodey notes how Tony’s expression softens the instant his gaze lands on the kid.

_Logistics, my ass._

“You’re a free man! Still doesn’t solve the problem of how to feed you.”

“That’s my bad, Peter,” Rhodey says, “although if I’d known you were here…”

Tony rolls his eyes again.

“Oh. Oh, no, don’t worry, Mr – Colonel Rhodes, sir, I’m good, really-“

“Peter,” Tony says, and there’s a strange fondness behind his warning tone. “You’re a teenager. You’re always hungry.”

“Well, duh, Mr Stark.” Peter rolls his eyes, and for a second Rhodey’s looking at Tony on their first day of college. “I’m being polite.”

“I know, it’s a real problem with you.” Tony puts down his screwdriver. “Come on. Lucky for you, we have some Thai left over from the other day. We’ll have a mish-mash.”

“Awesome!”

Tony scoops up the bag of takeout as he turns to leave, throwing a gentle arm around Peter’s shoulders, and Rhodey has to blink. Tony touching someone? Of his own accord?

“So, how did that chemistry report go, kid?”

“Huh? Oh, it went good. Ned did the diagrams, and-“

The lab door slides shut, cutting off the kid’s voice, and Rhodey is left, standing in the silence.

“What the fuck?”

* * *

**2.**

The next time Rhodey drops in at the Compound, he isn’t surprised that the kid’s there.

He is a little surprised to find him in the kitchen, helping himself to what looks like a full dinner at three in the afternoon.

“Hi, Mr Rhodes!” Peter chirps. “Mr Stark’s just gone to get, uh…are you hungry?”

“It’s three o’clock,” Rhodey says mildly. “Smells good, though.”

“Mom’s recipe.” Tony walks in, hands empty of anything he might have _gone to get._ “Sure you’re not hungry, Rhodey?”

Tony never talks about his mom if he can help it. Rhodey shakes himself and manages a smile. “Save me some. I’ll have it later.”

“Sure.” Tony takes a seat at the table, watches Peter dart around the kitchen for a minute. “How was DC?”

Rhodey puffs up his cheeks and blows out a long breath. “Ross is still riding my ass. Surprised he’s not all over yours, too.”

“Oh, he is.” Tony’s lips quirk. “I just don’t answer when he calls.”

“This is serious, Tony,” Rhodey insists. He glances at Peter, still busy in the kitchenette, and lowers his voice. “Now that the others have escaped-“

“Which I _obviously_ know nothing about.”

“Tony,” Rhodey hisses. “Plausible deniability.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Now they’ve disappeared without a trace, he’s going to start turning to the ones he can catch, make an example of them.”

Tony shifts, his smirk dropping.

“All these small-time heroes, the vigilantes – that Devil guy, even that Spider-kid you brought to Leipzig.”

“Not now, Rhodey.” Tony’s voice is suddenly, inexplicably hard.

“You asked-“

Tony cuts his gaze to Peter and back again, even though there’s no way the kid could possibly hear them over the sounds of the stove. “I said not now.” He gets to his feet and walks back over, his voice deliberately light. “Okay, Parker, you start boiling as much pasta as you want, and I’ll add the sauce.”

“Sure!” But even Peter seems tense, glancing between Tony and Rhodey as he boils the kettle. “Are you sure you don’t want any, Mr Stark?”

“I’m good, kid.” Tony’s face softens, the way it always seems to when he’s talking to Peter, and he grabs a jar from the fridge. “I’ll wait until normal dinnertime.”

Rhodey gets up and leans on the counter to watch them work, clearly familiar and comfortable with being in and around each other’s space, communicating with shoulder pats and noises. It’s the easy domesticity that he always knew Tony could have, if he just let the right people in. Apparently, _the right people_ means a fifteen-year-old genius from Queens.

“Your mom’s recipe,” Rhodey mutters as Tony wrestles with the jar of sauce. “Didn’t know your mom made sauce that comes from Walmart, Tones.”

“At least make yourself useful,” Tony grunts, his face contorted in effort, before handing him the jar. “Anyway, the recipe is the bolognaise, not the sauce.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Rhodey rolls his eyes, struggling to twist the lid. “This thing’s – really – on there. Kid? Wanna try?”

Peter hums absently and takes the jar, easily opening it and handing it back to Tony without so much as a blink.

_Okay_. “Wow, uh…good job, kid.”

Peter takes his gaze away from the stove and makes eye contact with Tony, who’s holding the open jar and its lid in each hand. They both look faintly horrified.

“We probably…loosened it up for you.” Tony gestures aimlessly for a moment.

“Yeah.” Peter nods. “Yeah, that’s – that’s what happened.”

“You two are weird,” Rhodey says; the strange tension dissolves like nothing had ever happened.

The pot bubbles over with a hiss, and Peter yells, “Oh, shit!” as he dives for the stove.

* * *

**3.**

When Rhodey had called them weird, he’d really only meant it as a joke. It’s about two months later when he actually sees just how weird they are.

He’s awake at two in the morning, jet lagged from two weeks in Europe with the UN, and wandering to the kitchen to find something to eat. Two in the morning means he isn’t expecting to meet anyone else – even Tony’s sleep schedule has improved recently – so he nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears a whimper from one of the couches in the lounge.

“Who’s there?” he snaps. “FRIDAY?”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just me, Mr Rhodes.”

“Peter?” Rhodey all but slumps in relief. “What are you doing here?”

“Staying over?”

“Nice try, kid. Weekdays aren’t usually on the custody agreement. Don’t you have school tomorrow?” Rhodey starts towards the lounge area, frowning at another pained whine. “Everything okay?”

“Fine!” Peter squeaks. “I’m fine, don’t worry, just – you can go to bed if you want. Everything’s good here.”

“Does Tony know you’re here?” Rhodey walks around the couch to find Peter lying on his back. “FRIDAY would’ve told him, right? How long have you been here?”

“D-don’t worry.” Peter shifts and lets out a muffed grunt. “Just – just having a teenage moment over here. Needed somewhere to crash.”

“Uh-huh. Because you have those.” Rhodey’s gaze travels down Peter’s chest, to his hands gripping his stomach over a stained towel. “What the _fuck_ -? Lights, FRIDAY.”

She obliges and Rhodey drops to his knees beside the couch. There’s red everywhere: Peter’s hands, his shirt, the towel pressed against his side.

“Kid!” he yells, and Peter cringes away. “FRIDAY, get Tony down here now. Peter’s hurt.”

_“Of course, Colonel Rhodes.”_

“We’re gonna have a serious conversation about why it took you so long. And you?” He jabs his finger at Peter. “Why wouldn’t you say anything?”

“Didn’t – wanna worry anyone,” Peter mumbles.

God, it’s like Rhodey’s travelled back in time, or like this is the second coming of Tony Stark.

“How’d you get in here?” he asks, putting considerable effort into making his voice calmer. “You can’t have walked.”

“No, I - I did.”

Rhodey shivers, turning to find the source of the draft. “Who opened the window?”

“Me. I was, um, cold.”

Rhodey stops halfway to the window and frowns. “You’re losing blood, and you’re…cold?”

“Uh…”

The kid is saved by the lounge doors sliding open and a hurricane manifesting as Tony Stark bursting into the room. “Kid? What the hell? Why does Rhodey have to tell me that you’re injured? Stop finding loopholes in FRIDAY’s protocols.” If Rhodey didn’t know Tony, he’d almost call the edge in his voice concern.

Who’s he kidding? Of course Tony cares about the kid.

“S’rry,” Peter mumbles, wincing as he tries to shift to a sitting position.

“What happened?” Tony says gently, calming down impressively fast.

“I, I may have gotten stabbed. A little.”

“Stabbed!?” Tony’s composure is a distant memory as his voice rises to what can only be described as a screech. “Where’s the knife?”

Peter just gives him a plaintive stare.

“Oh, you didn’t.” Tony all but yanks his shirt up to inspect the wound. “You took it out?”

Rhodey finally makes it over to the window and pulls it shut, but- “There’s blood on the window.”

Tony inexplicably tenses. Peter waves a clumsy hand. “Told you, I opened it.”

“Right…” Rhodey agrees, “because you, dripping blood on Tony’s couch, were cold.”

“Aw, jeez,” the kid mumbles, “I’m so sorry about the couch, Mr Stark-“

“The couch? Christ, Peter.” Tony’s taken the towel from the kid and is now pressing it against the wound. “I can get another couch, kid, there’s only one you.”

_What in the fuck was that?_ Not for the first time around these two, Rhodey has to shake himself. “That’s probably gonna need stitches, kid.”

“No, I don’t think-“

“Are you arguing with a colonel?”

“I-“

“I’ll sort it,” Tony says. “Rhodey, you can get to bed.”

“Tony, are you sure?”

“I’ve got this. Kid, can you walk?”

“Yeah.” Peter quickly stands, pales, and sits heavily again in the space of about two seconds. “Maybe?”

“Okay, no. Legs up.”

“Mr Stark-“

“Don’t argue, Peter.” God, is Tony aware how much like a dad he sounds?

“Your shirt,” the kid protests feebly.

“Once again, kid: the T-shirt is replaceable; you are not.” With that, Tony hooks his arms under Peter’s knees and back and scoops him up into his arms. Peter bites his lip but he can’t stop a strained grunt escaping. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s okay, I got you.”

“Sorry for scaring you, Mr Rhodey.” Peter’s voice is pitifully thin as Tony carries him away. “‘S’not as bad as it looks.”

“Only you would apologise for being stabbed, kid,” Tony groans.

Rhodey watches them go, frozen in place. “FRIDAY? That happened, right?”

_“Affirmative.”_

“How the hell does someone like Peter Parker get stabbed?”

FRIDAY hesitates for barely a second, but it feels like a lifetime. _“New York is a dangerous city, Colonel Rhodes.”_

Huh. “Too bad that Spider-Man guy wasn’t around to help out.”

Once again, FRIDAY pauses. _“Indeed.”_

* * *

**4.**

There’s a robot. There’s a giant robot in Manhattan, and Rhodey really shouldn’t be surprised by this shit anymore. His life is just like this now.

_“Okay,”_ Tony says thoughtfully _, “so it looks pretty easy to destroy, except it’s gonna be fairly spectacular when it goes. We need to get civilians clear and-“_

_“Hey, Mr Stark!”_

_“FRIDAY,”_ Tony hisses, quick as a flash, _“private channel.”_

And Rhodey’s on his own again, facing down a giant robot while Tony hovers next to him, gesticulating furiously like he’s arguing with someone.

_“-and do as I tell you!”_ Tony snaps, coming back online suddenly enough to make Rhodey jump. _“Rhodey, Spider-Man’s joining us.”_

“…okay? Good?”

_“Hi, Mr War Machine!”_

_“Kid?”_ Tony says sharply, his mask sending a frightening glare towards a red and blue figure crouched on a rooftop. _“What did I say?”_

_“Right, civilians!”_ Spider-Man hops into action, and Tony only seems to relax once he’s out of the robot’s line of fire.

_“He’s gonna clear the area,”_ Tony tells Rhodey _. “We just gotta distract this thing until everyone’s out of the way.”_

“Lucky for us, you’re a professional pain in my ass.”

_“Love you too!”_

They swoop in, tuning out Spider-Man chattering to the people he’s helping, and keep the robot busy with flares and low-level blasts. Rhodey can see what Tony means about it being easy to destroy; the power source is exposed and sparking dangerously. Sometimes jolts of electricity shoot through the robot’s body, making it hum.

Spider-Man is actually helpful. Rhodey knows he shouldn’t be surprised; the kid was useful in Germany and clearly had a good head on his shoulders, but he seems to have matured since then. Every so often, he’ll swing within reach of a flailing limb, and then Rhodey can practically hear Tony gritting his teeth.

Everything’s fine, until a metal arm catches Spider-Man in the stomach with a crackle of sparks and flings him against a wall. Hard.

Rhodey waits for him to crack a joke and jump straight back up, but he doesn’t move. “Tony, Spider-Man’s down.”

_“What?”_ And then he’s yelling at someone called Karen; Rhodey wonders if he’s named the robot for the hell of it.

He fires another blast and dodges one in return.

_“Get me his vitals, now – what do you mean electrical overload?”_ A pause. _“Well, fucking reboot or something – screw it.”_

“Who are you talking to?”

_“Rhodey! Cover me.”_

“Cover you while you do what-?” Rhodey breaks off as Tony streaks past him, landing heavily next to Spider-Man. He doesn’t have time to get mad about that, though, because his display lights up to tell him the area is clear. “Okay, I’m bored now.” He squints to aim and fires the missile.

The robot explodes without missing a beat.

“Well, that was easy.” Rhodey tunes in to Tony’s voice in his ear, swooping down towards him.

_“Come on, Spider-ling! Give me something.”_

Rhodey lands next to Tony; now the fight’s over, he can feel rage bubbling in his chest. “Do not ever do that again.”

“What?” Tony’s half-assed response only makes him angrier, but Spider-Man stirs and any attention Rhodey was being given is instantly lost. “Hey! There you are, you’re good. That was quite a knock, ki– uh, Spider-boy.”

“Misser S’ark?” Spider-Man wheezes. His voice sounds different now that his suit has shorted out; he sounds younger. “What-?”

“Don’t scare me like that,” Tony sighs.

“S’rry.” Spider-Man lifts his head, white eyes squinting up at Rhodey. “Did we win?”

“No thanks to Tony,” Rhodey says under his breath.

“What?” The idiot in question finally looks at something other than Spider-Man. “What’d I do?”

“Ever heard of communication?” Rhodey snaps. “You know, telling everyone what the hell you’re actually doing? Not just ducking out of a fight and leaving me to cover your ass with two seconds’ warning?”

Tony has the good grace to look apologetic for approximately one second before turning back to Spider-Man. “Okay, yes, admittedly that was a bad move on my part, but can we do this later, honeybear? There’s clean-up to be done and this one needs a checkup back at the Compound.”

“Mr Stark, I’m fine-“

“Less of the bullshit or you’re benched.”

“You can’t bench me, I’m not an Avenger.”

“No, and you never will be if you keep making it your personal mission to give me a heart attack.”

“Hey, _I_ turned _you_ down.”

“That was a test-!”

“Guess I’m on clean-up, then,” Rhodey sighs. He stands up and lets his helmet fold over his head, but not before he catches sight of Tony leaning forward to scoop Spider-Man into his arms. It’s oddly gentle, almost like the way he’d carried Peter out of the lounge a few weeks ago.

Cute. Give a man one kid, and he suddenly starts adopting every young person in the vicinity.

* * *

**5.**

The Compound is quiet when Rhodey finally gets back. Vision is AWOL – again – and he assumes Tony is in the medical wing with Spider-Man. The only person he does run into is Peter, rifling around in the kitchen.

“Hey, kid,” he says, and quietly marvels at how quickly Peter has fitted in here.

“Hi!” Peter leans into the fridge and winces a little. “Mr Stark told me to get some food – I just got here, I haven’t seen him yet. He said to wait in here.” There’s something there, a tightness around his eyes, that makes Rhodey look a little closer.

“You all right?”

“Hm?” Peter doesn’t even glance up from constructing what has to be the most loaded sandwich in history. “Oh, yeah. I just…saw the fight. Online! Like, social media, and stuff. I wanna make sure everything’s okay, that’s all.”

_This kid_. Rhodey can see why he’s wormed his way into Tony’s heart. “I’m sure it’s all fine. Spider-Man was up and talking pretty quickly. Tony wasn’t even hurt.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I know all that stuff looks scary, but that’s just…the gig.”

Peter nods, wearing the same expression Tony does when everything he’s being told is going in one ear and straight out of the other.

“So how’s that stab wound healing up?”

Is that a weird question? From the look on Peter’s face, he clearly thinks so. “Oh! Um…great. Not a problem.”

“You gonna tell me how it happened?”

“I told you. Mugging.”

Rhodey still doesn’t believe him, but they’re interrupted by the kitchen door sliding open.

“Hey!” Tony walks in, dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants with his sleeves rolled up. “How you doing, kid?”

It’s such a simple question, but Rhodey can’t help but feel there’s something else behind it. He stops short, all thoughts of continuing his dressing-down of Tony gone.

“All good,” Peter says around a mouthful of bread and chicken. “How are you? How’s, um, Spider-Man?”

“He’d be a lot better if he did what he was told and stopped putting himself in danger,” Tony grumbles, swiping the other half of Peter’s sandwich despite his protests. “Nuh-uh. I’ve earned this.”

“He still here?” Rhodey asks, frowning at the sudden odd tension in the kitchen.

“No.” Tony manages a quick smile. “No, he swung home.”

“Probably wasn’t as bad as it looked,” Peter mutters.

Tony shoots him a frosty glare. “Still scared the shit out of me.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s sorry,” Peter says pointedly. “I’m, uh, gonna go to my room. Got work to do.” He grabs the remains of his sandwich and storms out of the kitchen.

“Okay.” Rhodey stares at the door. He really just witnessed an actual family argument, teenage attitude and all. He has no idea what it was about, but still. “ _Wow_.”

“Shit.” With a heavy sigh, Tony runs a hand over his face. “I better…give him some time to cool off.”

It’s happened. He’s evolved into the ultimate dad. “What the hell?” Rhodey splutters.

Tony misunderstands. “I know, I know, but he gets freaked out when he thinks I might be in danger, and then I freak out and – you know what? I need to – to talk to him. Otherwise he’ll stew and I’ll stew and – yeah. Uh…” He’s more nervous than Rhodey thinks he’s ever seen him, wringing his hands as he backs out of the kitchen. “Help yourself to food. Be right back!”

* * *

Whatever Tony does, it must work. Peter emerges around dinner time, finds them sitting in the kitchen and quietly asks for Chinese takeout.

“Sure, bud.” Tony’s smile is gentle. “Rhodey, any special requests? Just make sure you get your own thing; the kid’s gonna eat anything that isn’t spoken for.”

“Is it normal for teenagers to eat that much?” Rhodey asks mildly.

“He’s growing, Rhodes. Look at him. He needs it.”

“Mr _Stark_ ,” Peter groans. “Um, sorry about earlier, Mr Rhodes.”

“Don’t worry about it, kid. I’ve been stressing about Tony for years.”

Peter grins and the strange moment in the kitchen is forgotten. “Can we watch a movie when our food gets here?”

“Sure. Rhodes? Movie night?”

That sounds domestic as hell. “Why not? What’re we thinking?”

“He’s gonna say _Empire Strikes Back_ ,” Tony mutters to Rhodey.

“I…”

“Called it.”

“Huh.” Rhodey smirks as Tony starts to recite their order off to FRIDAY – he knows the kid’s order by heart? “You know who else likes _Star Wars_ , kid?”

“Can I have some extra spring rolls, please, Mr Stark? Sorry, Mr Rhodes, who?”

“Spider-Man.”

To his surprise, Peter answers his smirk with one of his own. “That freeloader? I’m, like, ninety percent sure he only sticks around because Mr Stark and I make all his tech for free.”

Tony pauses, his gaze softening as he looks over at Peter. “And what exactly do you stick around for?”

Peter pretends to think. “The free food.”

And Tony laughs, loud and happy, and Rhodey once again thanks whatever sent Peter Parker into their lives.

* * *

The movie is good, better than Rhodey thinks he remembers it being. Peter gets strangely but endearingly excited when the rebels take down the walkers.

“All right, all right, calm down – you’re losing your chopsticks, Parker.”

Peter, as Tony had predicted, eats an impressive amount of food and promptly starts to nod off. Tony catches a carton before it slips from his drooping hand and sets it on the coffee table.

Slowly, Peter and Tony start to shift into each other’s space, as if drawn by some invisible force. Tony throws an arm over the back of the couch; Peter shifts into the gap like it was some unspoken invitation. When Rhodey looks back again, Peter is curled against Tony’s chest, fast asleep.

Tony meets Rhodey’s gaze over the top of the kid’s head. “You wake him up, you die.”

Rhodey holds his hands up with a grin.

Tony rests his head back and closes his own eyes. Rhodey counts five minutes before he drops off, too.

This is _huge_. Tony doesn’t just…fall asleep with other people in the room; he doesn’t trust anyone enough. Pepper, Rhodey and sometimes Happy are the only ones he has that much faith in.

But this kid, this kid who’s been around for a handful of months, has apparently crashed straight through Tony’s barriers, the same ones it took Rhodey years to break down.

Thank God people like Peter Parker exist.

Pepper walks in when Luke is facing down Darth Vader. She doesn’t even blink at the scene before her, just picks up a blanket hanging over the arm of the couch and tucks it over the two of them. When she steps back, she gives them a gentle smile.

Rhodey softly clears his throat and sits up.

“Oh, Rhodey,” she whispers, “I didn’t realise you were awake.”

“I don’t think the surprise would let me sleep.” He nods his head towards the pile on the couch.

Pepper smiles again. “I’m used to it.”

Well, that’s even more interesting. “This happen often?”

“All the time.”

“Wow.”

Peter shifts in his sleep, letting out a little whining noise, and Rhodey watches in disbelief as Tony shushes him and rests a gentle hand on his head. The kid instantly settles.

“So, do we wake them up, or…?”

“Oh, no. They’re quite happy staying here. They’ve done it before.”

“Really?” With another look at the peaceful expression on his friend’s face, Rhodey gets up himself. “Tony’s back is gonna kill him in the morning.”

“He’d rather let Peter sleep.”

“Wow. He really loves that kid, huh?”

The word _love_ hangs between them for a second before Pepper breaks into a wide smile. “He really does.”

* * *

**+1.**

“Rhodes!”

Rhodey groans and rolls over, throwing his arm over his eyes. There’s a series of loud bangs on his bedroom door.

_“Colonel Rhodes, Boss is calling you.”_

“I can _hear_ that. What time is it?”

_“Three-seventeen AM.”_

“Jesus Christ.”

“Rhodey!”

“I’m coming, man. Jeez.” Rhodey rolls out of bed and stumbles across his room, pulling the door open. “What the hell?”

“I need your help.” Tony is frantic, bouncing on the spot. “The kid – the kid’s missing.”

Rhodey’s stomach drops to the floor. “What?”

“Just – please-“

“Okay, I’m coming, I’m coming. What happened?”

“I don’t know, I don’t-“

“Okay, calm down, man.”

“I think someone’s taken him-“

“Wait, what?” Rhodey stops. “Why the hell would they take your intern?”

Tony doesn’t answer, just stares at him with tear-filled eyes, running his fingers through tousled hair.

“He’s just a kid; he’s _staff_ , for all anyone else knows. I didn’t even see how close you were until a few months ago. What the hell are they doing taking Peter?”

“They didn’t take Peter,” Tony croaks miserably.

“I’m sorry, you said Peter was missing-“

Tony heaves a huge sigh. “They didn’t take Peter Parker.”

“But you said-“

“I never said they had Peter, Rhodey.”

“Yeah, you did-“

“No.”

“You said they had the kid, Tony.”

“Not Peter.” Tony swallows, nods, visibly steels himself. “They have Spider-Man.”

Silence. Rhodey blinks. Blinks again. Tries to process exactly what it is he’s just heard. “Fucking excuse me?”

“Rhodey-“

“Spider-Man is a kid? What the hell, Tony? The _hell_? You brought him to Germany? You brought a child into that fight.” Something else clicks. “And of course you lost your shit when he got hurt that time; he’s not ‘on the young side’, he’s a fucking minor.”

“Look, you can yell at me later, and God knows I’ll deserve it, but please, Rhodey.” Tony pulls out the puppy eyes that Rhodey can never say no to. “Please help me find him.”

* * *

In the end, all it takes is FRIDAY hacking into traffic cams and CCTV to pinpoint the van Spider-Man had been thrown into. Rhodey feels close to redundant, but then again, he’s probably the only thing between Tony and an all-out meltdown.

“Got them,” Tony says an hour later, vindictive satisfaction colouring his voice. “Drove for about an hour before they stopped, enough to get them well out of the city. Unfortunately for them, they’re pretty close to the Compound.”

“Okay,” Rhodey says, “so let’s go get them.”

“Yeah.” But Tony’s gaze stays fixed on the screen, on the masked men spilling out of a black van and dragging a limp figure with them.

“Tony,” Rhodey tries again, doing his best to imagine Tony being this freaked over anyone else on the team getting caught, and he comes up blank. Pepper, maybe. “He’s gonna be fine.”

“Oh, he better be,” Tony mutters. “Either way, they’re still gonna be sorry.”

Sometimes, Rhodey forgets just how terrifying his friend can be.

* * *

Bad guys are nothing if not predictable. They’re holed up in an empty warehouse on some out-of-the-way industrial estate, deserted in the early morning light. FRIDAY scans the building and reports that there are fifteen men inside.

“So fourteen, including the kid.” Rhodey nods. “We need to move carefully. If they realise we’re here, it could put Spider-Man in even more danger.”

Tony sets his jaw.

“It’s gonna be fine,” Rhodey tells him.

“Sure, yeah. It’ll be fine.”

They move.

Two men guarding the door go down with barely a sound, and Rhodey drops three more with darts as they duck inside. The rows of empty shelves provide them with some cover as they march towards the remaining heat signatures.

“How long do we have to keep him here?”

“Until the buyer shows up.”

Tony growls, deep in his chest, and Rhodey lays a warning hand on his arm.

“Kid’s more trouble than he’s probably worth.”

“Oh, trust me, he’s worth it.”

Rhodey folds his helmet down and peers around the edge of the shelves. Spider-Man is cuffed to a chair by the far wall, his head hanging down onto his chest and his shoulders shaking. Water is pouring from somewhere above his head, leaving him drenched and shivering.

“You go around,” Rhodey breathes, just loud enough for Tony to hear. “Take care of the rest of the men. I’ll stay here, and then we can jump these guys.”

Tony gives him a tight nod and slips away.

“Reckon he’s had enough of that?”

There are three men surrounding Spider-Man, one of whom carries himself with the authority of a leader. “Yeah. Don’t want to drown him.”

The stream of water shuts off, leaving the warehouse quiet enough that the sound of muffled sobs reaches Rhodey’s ears.

“Are you crying?” They all laugh and their faces twist into identical expressions of cruel satisfaction.

No answer. Spider-Man shudders violently.

“Can’t believe you were this easy to catch.” The leader lunges with no warning, driving a vicious fist into Spider-Man’s face. “You’ve cost me a job or two before, you little asshole.”

Spider-Man cries out, the sound coming out muffled like he’d tried to stifle it. Rhodey winces; he sounds even younger now, trying to hide his sobs.

_“All the men are taken care of,”_ Tony hisses in his ear _, “except those three. I’m in position.”_

“Go in twenty,” Rhodey tells him.

The leader laughs as Spider-Man lets out another choked sob. “Pathetic. No wonder you’re always trailing after Iron Man. I doubt he’ll bother to come and find you, though; you’re just a useless kid.” And then he grabs the top of the mask and pulls.

Repulsors fire before a streak of red and gold barrels into the man and slams him into the wall. Rhodey swears; he still had six seconds left to count.

The leader is gasping in shock, one hand still clutching red fabric. Rhodey blasts one of the guys and swoops in to hoist the other one into the air before dropping him to the ground.

Tony is still locked in a fight with the leader, his movements jerky and angry, so Rhodey turns to Spider-Man.

His head is drooping onto his chest, wet brown curls falling over his face. Rhodey tries to break the cuffs around his wrists, fails, and groans.

“K-key,” Spider-Man croaks, his teeth chattering. “Th-that one…”

Unlocking the cuffs is easy after a threatening glare and a repulsor blast in the direction of the man in question. Spider-Man slumps forward and Rhodey darts around the chair to catch him, easing him gently to the floor.

He stares into the bruised, tear-streaked face of Peter Parker and instantly starts to plan his retirement. “Oh, fuck…”

Peter gives him a weak, apologetic grimace before his eyes roll back in his head and he goes limp.

Tony’s suddenly there. “Give him to me.”

“Tony…”

“Rhodey, please – I need – let me-“

Rhodey gently shifts the kid and places him in Tony’s arms. Tony clutches him closer, running his hands through Peter’s hair.

“We should go,” Rhodey says, “in case they called backup.”

Tony doesn’t hear him, or at least doesn’t react. “Peter? Peter, can you hear me? Just open your eyes for me, kid.” There’s something so gentle about the way he’s rubbing his thumb across the kid’s cheek, cradling him into his body, that Rhodey feels like he’s intruding. “Peter? Peter!”

Rhodey makes an executive decision. He stands, grabs Tony underneath the armpits, makes sure he’s holding Peter tightly, and takes off.

The flight doesn’t last long, just enough to get them clear of the building. Peter still hasn’t stirred.

“Dammit, Tony,” Rhodey breathes.

“Peter, come on,” Tony says again. “Karen? Karen, are you there? What’s wrong with him?”

A beat.

“Hypothermic? What-?”

“The shower,” Rhodey says, “remember? They had him under a cold shower.”

“But why is he so-?”

_“Boss, do you remember hypothesising that Mr Parker may have developed certain traits as a result of the changes to his DNA? Spiders cannot thermoregulate.”_

There’s too much there for Rhodey to even begin to unpack.

“Shit,” Tony says, “shit, shit, shit. We need to get him back to the Compound.” He moves like he’s about to pick up Peter.

“Woah, woah, you’re gonna take him up?” Rhodey asks. “It’s even colder up there than it is down here, plus you got wind chill to worry about.”

Tony stares at him for a second, and Rhodey realises he’s never seen Tony panic. Not like this. This is raw and visceral and terrifying. This is a father scared for his child.

“FRIDAY,” Tony says finally, slowly, too slowly for Rhodey’s liking; Peter isn’t even shivering. “Malibu Protocol: Peter Parker.” Tony’s suit unfolds, leaving him kneeling in his normal clothes, and wraps itself around Peter. “And turn the heating right up.”

“No, don’t do that.” Rhodey stares his friend down. “If you raise his core temperature too quickly, you could kill him.” Tony flinches. “Steadily heat him up, and I mean steadily.”

“But he’s so cold,” Tony whispers.

“I know,” Rhodey says. He has to stay calm, for Tony’s sake as well as Peter’s. “I know, Tony. But he has you on his side, so he’s going to be fine. You won’t let him be anything else.”

“You’ll have to carry me.”

“Sure, yeah.”

Tony nods, running a shaking hand down his face. “Okay. Okay, FRIDAY, take him home. Alert Cho and her staff, and send Karen’s scans through. You heard Rhodey; raise the temperature slowly.”

The suit takes off instantly, and Tony follows its arc through the sky.

“Tony,” Rhodey says. “Come on.”

“Surprised you’re not mad at me,” Tony mumbles.

“I’ll get to that,” Rhodey promises, “but right now I’m just worried about the kid.”

Tony doesn’t say anything else, so Rhodey picks him up and takes off in the direction of the Compound.

* * *

“Helen?” Tony is all but running down the corridor towards the Medbay, and Rhodey is still climbing out of his armour.

“Mr Stark.” A nurse appears and beckons Tony around a corner; he looks calm, which slows Tony’s headlong charge. “This way.”

“Is he okay?”

“Absolutely fine, your suit did half the work for us…”

Rhodey follows, still not quite sure where he fits in this anymore, this strange little family with Tony at its centre. Peter and Spider-Man – of course they’re the same person; the more he thinks about it, the more it makes sense.

But why would Tony allow this, when he so obviously cares about the kid? Why would he bring Peter to fight Steve, and then set him loose in New York, alone and practically unprotected?

Except…he’s not. That suit is among the most advanced tech Tony’s ever made, and Rhodey knows he has at least one more for when the kid might need it. FRIDAY has a constant alert running for anything Spider-Man-related. Tony created a whole new AI just for him. Peter’s smart, and can clearly fight and handle himself even in dicey situations.

But, for all that, Peter’s still a child, and Rhodey really doesn’t know what to do with that information.

He still feels lost when he wanders into Peter’s room in the Medbay to find the kid sitting up and Tony in the chair beside his bed.

“- _fine_ , Mr Stark,” Peter says. “Honestly, I have so many blankets…” He trails off as his gaze catches Rhodey hovering in the door. “Hi.”

“Hi, kid.” Rhodey can’t hide his relief, but he’s sure it’s nothing compared to Tony’s. “You doing okay?”

“Not you, too,” Peter groans. “You get kidnapped one time-“

“It was the hypothermia we were more concerned about,” Tony says, gently brushing a stray curl off Peter’s forehead, “especially with your staggering lack of homeostasis.”

Peter’s eyes cut to Rhodey again before he sighs. “Oh. Yeah. You know.”

“Sure do.”

Tony and Peter share a loaded glance.

“Have you reached mad yet?” Tony asks, only the slightest bit hesitant.

“A little.” Rhodey sits beside Tony. “Kinda pissed at myself, to be honest. It was right there, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I was amazed it took you this long.” Tony leans back in his chair with a laugh. “You had to actually look him in the face. Really thought you were gonna give the game away long before this, kid.”

“Hey!”

“Pete, you’re terrible at keeping secrets.”

“I mean, that’s fair.” Peter shifts under the pile of heated blankets.

“You could’ve just told me,” Rhodey says. “I’m good at keeping secrets, you know. High up in the military.”

Tony sighs. “ _Because_ you’re high up in the military, platypus.”

“Plausible deniability,” Peter says.

That sounds familiar. “Well, thanks, I guess.”

Peter gives him a sheepish grin. “So, I should probably tell you that I overheard you talking about Ross in the kitchen that time.” At Rhodey’s frown, he adds, “Super hearing.”

“Huh. What else can you do?”

“Uh, basically super senses all around. I’m, like, really strong. I can stick to things. Oh, and I can sense danger.”

“Wouldn’t that have been handy today?”

“It’s not accurate,” Peter says, “or reliable, half the time. It’s just really loud anxiety. That’s not the point, okay? I heard you say that Ross – that’s the guy in charge of the Accords, right?”

Tony tenses. “Right.”

“You said he’d start coming after people like me. I heard one of the men say his name.”

There’s a heavy silence.

“Can he do that?” Rhodey says. “Surely he was outside the law. Besides, kid, you were with us in Germany.”

“But I haven’t signed,” Peter whispers. “They want my name, and I…I can’t do that to my aunt. I need to keep her safe, more than I need to keep myself on the right side of the law.”

_God, this kid._ “Okay. I can still work with that. At least now I can send them in the wrong direction.”

“Wait…” The pure gratitude on Peter’s face only confirms in Rhodey’s head what Tony had clearly already decided; there’s no way Ross is ever getting his hands on this kid. “Really?”

“Of course, kid. You just gotta keep yourself out of trouble on this end, and I’ll make sure the government stay off your trail.”

“Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you-“

“And you.” Rhodey points a finger at Tony. “You keep him safe.”

“Kid can handle himself,” Tony says with a grin, “but _duh_ , Rhodey. _”_

“I know he can handle himself, or I’d be kicking your ass into next week for bringing him to Germany. Wasn’t supposed to be a fight, was it? And still.” He gestures to his leg braces. “It was still dangerous, Tony. But you obviously trust him to look after himself, or you would’ve locked him in his room and taken the suit away.”

Tony’s smile turns rueful. “Yeah, been there. Not the best idea I’ve ever had.”

There’s a story there, based on Peter’s wince and the guilty look in Tony’s eyes, but Rhodey can find out another time. He needs to get back to Washington and start derailing whatever Ross has set in motion. He needs to protect Peter, because Tony needs him to.

“You take care of yourself, kid,” he says as he stands, “and if you can’t, I think Tony’s got it covered.”

Tony looks up. “You heading out?”

“Think I’d better take a look at the situation from DC. Ross is the kind of person that gets bored when he’s not getting results, so at least I can help him along with that.”

“Thank you.” Tony sighs, and a weight seems to lift from his shoulders. “Want me to walk you out?”

“Nah, you’re good.” Rhodey knows his friend well enough to see that he wants nothing less than to leave Peter’s side. “Keep an eye on the kid, all right? Make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“You got it.”

“You guys do know I’m, like, right here?”

“No, my bad,” Tony says. “I assumed you’d be taking a nap like Helen told you to.”

Peter groans.

“Sorry, what was that?”

Rhodey watches them, unable to hide his smile. Tony’s always been good with kids, better than he’s been given credit for in the press or the public eye, better than he ever gave himself credit for, better than he allowed himself to believe with the bitter aftertaste of Howard Stark’s legacy still lingering, but Peter just seems to have filled a gap, become something Tony didn’t even know he was missing.

He always knew Tony would be a great dad, nothing like Howard, and it looks like he’s right.

“Can we put a movie on?” Peter asks as Rhodey turns to leave.

“If I do, will you sleep? I want you looking better when your aunt gets here.”

Peter’s eyes fly wide. “You told May?”

“Of course I told May. She’s in charge of you, kid.”

“Ughhh, I can’t _believe_ you.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, Parker.”

Rhodey stops at the door, half wanting to leave them to their own little world, half loathe to go. “I’ll see you guys, okay?”

“See you.”

“Bye, Mr Rhodey!”

Rhodey lingers a second longer in the doorway, watches Tony reach over to brush the same errant strand of hair from Peter’s forehead, watches Peter lean into his hand with such infallible trust in his eyes.

This isn’t just any kid, Rhodey realises as he turns away, he’s Tony’s kid. Looking back, everything in the past several months makes sense, falls into place, and he’s still smarting it took this long for him to put the pieces together.

He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Tony love anything, love anyone, as fiercely, as gently as he loves Peter. It’s different from the way he loves Pepper, the way he loves his friends. Tony loves Peter unconditionally, without needing anything in return, without an ounce of expectation. Tony loves Peter the way Howard never loved him.

And God knows Tony needs someone like that. Not for the first time, Rhodey sends a quiet thank you to whoever sent Peter Parker into their lives.

Yeah, Tony’s a good dad, Rhodey thinks, and grins.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr at [akillerqueenwrites](https://akillerqueenwrites.tumblr.com), or my main blog [akillerqueenyouare](https://akillerqueenyouare.tumblr.com). come say hi, ask questions, leave prompts or just yell at me. i've also made a twitter, [@killerqueenao3](https://twitter.com/killerqueenao3) , if any of you want to talk to me there (it's mostly pictures of my dog). thank you for reading!


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